


So complicated

by Noxnoctisanima



Category: Bring It On (Movies)
Genre: College, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:22:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28139874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noxnoctisanima/pseuds/Noxnoctisanima
Summary: In high school Missy made the poor choice to set her crush up with her brother, now she's suddenly transferred to her college and Missy still has no idea what to do with her.
Relationships: Missy Pantone/Torrance Shipman
Comments: 20
Kudos: 61
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	So complicated

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cookinguptales](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookinguptales/gifts).



“And you talked shit about cheer uniforms.” 

Missy whipped around, mouth a little agape at the sound of a very unexpected voice. 

Torrance looked exactly the same as the last time Missy had seen her nearly two years ago, returning a few of Cliff’s CD’s after their romance had fizzled under the pressure of freshman year at different colleges. 

Missy blinked at her and then finally parsed what she had said. 

“To be fair, I wasn’t used to the skirts.” 

Torrance laughed, the same head-thrown-back chuckle that had featured so heavily in Missy’s spank bank during senior year. 

Missy looked down at herself. It wasn’t the worst leotard she’d ever worn but there was nothing restrained about purple sparkles. The bottom half was covered in a pair of sweats but they could both see the high leg peeking out of the waistband. 

Torrance stepped closer and reached out a hand to touch Missy’s hair. She was close enough to smell, floral and a little bit like sweat and Missy’s teeth grazed her lip as she thanked God that she was the twin born without an inconvenient penis. 

Missy didn’t feel the touch until Torrance poked her bun and her whole head moved a little. 

“Is this actually shellacked?” She sounded impressed. “And I thought cheer competition hair was uptight.” 

Missy batted away her hand. “It’s not my fault you never bothered to find out what a gymnastics uniform looks like.” 

Torrance smiled and fuck if her dimples weren’t as great as she remembered. 

“So, what brings you to a collegiate gymnastic competition at a college you don’t attend?” She leant back against the wall, cocking her hip out like she’d done in high school, hoping someone would look.

“Just checking out the sights at the college I’ve transferred to.” 

Missy’s eyebrows climbed. “I thought San Diego had a ‘much better cheer team’?” 

Torrance shrugged, rocking a bit closer as a pack of small girls in UCLA Gymnastics shirts brushed against her. 

“When the doctor says they won’t be able to stabilise my ankle if I tear any more ligaments and then won’t sign off on my physical, having a good cheer team isn’t so important anymore.” She shifted on her feet and Missy suddenly paid close attention to the soft brace sticking out of her right sock. She had barely noticed it earlier, her life was full of people nursing injuries, people without tape or a brace or bruises were the ones out of place. 

Torrance was smiling but there was a tenseness around her eyes Missy could still recognise. 

“Bet that made mummy happy.” She drawled, aiming for the same offhanded tone as Torrance. She must have hit the mark and earned a dry laugh. 

“She was thrilled and offered to pay my rent off-campus if I transferred.” 

“The things we’ll do for a private bathroom.” 

“The things we’ll do.” Torrance agreed, shuffling a little closer when a couple of disgruntled looking older women with ‘can I speak to the manager’ hair half ran into her. 

She was a little too close now for Missy’s libido to handle, she could feel the heat of her skin and their hands brushed as Torrance swayed a little in place, her ankle wavering. 

“So, am I the first on your visiting list? I don’t really keep up with anyone else except…” 

Missy trailed off and cursed herself internally. Firstly, she had only seen the break up from Cliff’s side and wasn’t sure how that went from Torrance’s. Secondly, she wasn’t sure she wanted to bring up the stupidest chapter of her teenage life. Let’s just say that setting your straight crush up with your brother is about the most uncomfortable thing a baby lesbian can do.

“Sorry to tell you but you were number two.” She grinned, soothing worries of upset feelings. “I needed your brother to get your location.” 

The gymnastics practise of keeping a smile on your face even as you land on a broken ankle served her well as she struggled to control her reaction. _“Number two.”_ Fuck, wasn’t she always? 

Missy glanced at her watch and was utterly relieved to realise she actually had to be somewhere else. 

“Hey, I’ve got floor in a few minutes, I’ve got to get moving.” 

Torrance took a little half step back and Missy’s chest eased a little. She grinned. 

“See you later then?” Torrance asked. “I’m sure you’ll hear me in the stands, nothing beats cheer trained lungs.” 

* * *

“So.” 

Missy looked up from her tray as Cliff slid into the chair across from her. 

“So,” she replied, blocking his fork from her pasta. 

“Torrance came to see me yesterday.” His eyebrow raise answered a question she’d never bothered asking about how much he’d figured out about her crush. 

“Late as always. She came to the meet yesterday.” She shoved a fork full of pasta into her mouth to avoid eye contact. 

“Well, that must have been awkward,” he drawled dryly, trying again for her pasta and barely escaping her stab. 

“Yes, thanks, brother.” Her voice was just as dry. “I had hoped to leave crushing on my brother’s girlfriends in high school, but…” She tilted her head ruefully, shrugging. 

Cliff lifted his hands, defensive. “Oh no, firstly, like you weren’t crushing hard on Eloise from Polisci last semester…” 

“Okay! She is not a good example,” Missy interrupted, now punctuating her conversation with her fork. “You don’t get to count the ones who are so honestly gay they come out while breaking up with you.”

“Then you don’t get to assume my high school girlfriend and I are interested in dating again after nearly two years, just because we are at the same college now.” He met her eyes aggressively, speared a piece of pasta out of her tray and ate it as she stared at him. 

She finally blinked after a long moment. “Eat your own fucking dinner.” 

He smirked but did as he was told, finally settling into his fried rice. She knew what he was doing. If he was silent she was eventually going to have to ask and he knew it. She occasionally forgot he was an asshole, she wasn’t sure how. 

He was nearly finished with his plate before she gave in. 

“Why not?”

He shrugged innocently and she nearly strangled him. “Why not what?”

“Why wouldn’t you date again?” She gritted out. 

“Well, I’m dating Chloe.” 

Missy rolled her eyes at him. She loved her brother but they both knew his approach to relationships recently had been kind of disposable.

“And Torrance doesn’t want to date me.” He was nonchalantly not making eye contact, the asshole. The silence stretched before Missy gave in. 

“What, did she just come out and say it?” She mocked.

He was looking at her like he thought she was stupid. She wanted to punch him in the dick. 

“Missy, she only wanted to know where you were,” he said slowly, now making very deliberate eye contact. 

“What?” 

He sighed. “She only wanted to know where _you_ were.” He jabbed towards her with his fork and raised his eyebrows meaningfully. 

Missy’s stomach soured. “Not funny.” 

Cliff’s expression didn’t change. “Does it look like I’m joking?”

She stopped, narrowing her eyes at him. “What do you know?” 

“Nothing I haven’t already told you.” He sat back, crossing his arms. “Now what are you going to do about it?” 

* * *

Panic. 

She was going to panic. 

Because screw Cliff for seeming so sure and not actually _knowing_ anything. Or maybe knowing something and not _telling_ her. 

Either way, panic. 

How do you hit on your possibly not straight high school crush who used to date your brother? There was no advice column for this. 

The worst part was that she actually had no game even when she was sure about the sexuality of her crush. Cliff liked to describe her usual method as ‘being gay at people until they do something about it.’ 

To be fair, it usually worked. 

“She wants to meet for lunch tomorrow.” Missy was sprawled across Cliff’s roommate’s bed, John was terrified of her and left the room whenever she was visiting, she supposed she should feel bad about that. 

“Don’t you have friends to talk about this with?” Cliff was propped up against the wall, plucking away at his guitar. 

“I am not explaining this bullshit to anyone else.” 

Cliff picked out a few notes before replying. 

“Okay then, go to lunch and then kiss her.” 

“You are really fucking unhelpful.” She shot back, flopping back to stare at the ceiling. 

“I have no idea what part of our relationship suggested to you that I would be helpful.” 

“Asshole.” 

“Bitch.” 

* * *

“Hey.” Torrance greeted her with a smile and Missy was not ready for this. 

“Hey.” Missy was a loser who had been sitting in the cafe for 10 minutes already because it was better than still sitting on her bed fully dressed like she’d been doing for the hour before. 

“How has unpacking been?” Missy asked, trying to distract herself from the way Torrance sprawled over her seat, elbows resting far back on the armrests, chest thrust forward. 

“Blissfully alone.” She smiled and shook her ankle a little. “I almost wish I’d done this sooner. My roommate was a talker.” 

Missy gave her a flat stare. “You’re a talker.” 

Torrance laughed. “Yes, and there can’t be two of us.” 

“So you came and had lunch with me.” 

“Well that’s different, you’re a listener. We work together.” 

Missy didn’t think she’d ever felt more pleased by a compliment that wasn’t really a compliment.  
  


“So, you like me because I let you talk as much as you like?” 

Torrance laughed again. “Well, that’s one reason.” 

Missy could feel the heat of the blush and only hoped it wasn’t noticeable. _How_ did straight girls manage to be so oblivious when accidentally flirting with lesbians?

“So, how is UCLA compared to San Diego?” 

“I’m not hating it.” Torrance shrugged. “It’s not all that different but I had forgotten that I haven’t had to make any of my own friends in years.” 

Missy frowned at her, confused. “What?” 

Torrance laughed again. “I met everyone through cheer. Everyone was either a teammate.” She gestured to Missy. “Or I met them through one. Where do you even meet people otherwise?”

Missy supposed she had a point. “Clubs and classes mostly.” 

“Classes don’t start for a week, so that is not helping me now.” She cocked her head at Missy. “What clubs are you part of?” 

Look, there were a lot of reasons Missy had joined the Queer Alliance but ease of coming out had certainly been a factor. 

“Queer Alliance mostly.” She replied, carefully watching Torrance’s face while pretending to be wholly focused on her coffee. Torrance didn’t so much as blink. 

“Oh cool! I wasn’t part of one in San Diego but that’d be fun I think.” She smiled and Missy’s mind whirled. Part of _one_ what? A club or a queer club? She might actually scream. 

Torrance just kept smiling at her and sipped her coffee. If Missy had anyone other than Cliff to share this with she’d be texting them underneath the table because what the actual _fuck_ was happening?

“Yeah, they’re fun.” She said awkwardly and didn’t blame herself because her mind was whirling. 

Torrance looked at her for a few more moments and then changed the subject, to Missy’s mixed relief and disappointment. 

* * *

“I don’t think you understand that I don’t actually care if you get to sleep with my ex-girlfriend.” Cliff said as she walked into the room. 

“I don’t think you understand that I don’t give a fuck and you’re the only person I can talk to about this.” 

She’d turned up to Cliff’s dorm immediately after she left the cafe and must have been looking particularly direct because John had actually squeaked and she was pretty sure, left without his keys.

Now she was lying on his bed again and whining at Cliff. 

“But what did she mean?” She drew out the last syllable and sighed. “Is she gay, does she just like clubs?” 

“She’s gay.” Cliff said dryly, glaring at her from where he was sitting at his desk, trying to write an essay. 

“How do you know that though?” 

He pressed his hands together in front of his mouth and breathed in deeply. 

“Because she was doing the same thing you were. Mentioning a gay club so that the other person would know that you are also not straight.” He held his hand up as she started to speak. “I will not keep explaining to you why I know my ex-girlfriend wants to sleep with you. It’s not good for my ego.” 

“But.” She tried, but he cut her off. 

“No, get out of my room and stop being such a disaster. I have an essay to write.” 

* * *

She wasn't sure when she had become Torrance's go-to call for help but she wasn't regretting where it had brought her. Torrance’s apartment was nice and the part of Missy that wasn’t tied up in knots was a little jealous. It was a simple studio but it was blessedly _empty_. Missy was not cut out for the roommate life.

It had the simple, solid furniture of a furnished apartment and Torrance was obviously a better adult than she was because the dressers and bookcases were already full and she was only now hanging up posters. 

“Hey!” Torrance’s voice was sunny and excited and damaging Missy’s nerves. She was wearing an honest to god sundress.

“Thanks for helping, some of these really need two hands.” She gestured vaguely back at a pile of frames leaning picture down against the far wall. 

“It’s all good, much nicer place to be than in my dorm.” A much nicer view as well she noted, eyeing the short skirt and low neck of Torrance’s dress. 

Torrance smiled at her again and Missy’s heart actually skipped a fucking beat, then she mercifully turned away, pointing at something on the wall. 

“I’ve got the two hooks in.” She reached up and touched them, her skirt riding up the back of her thighs until Missy could see the swell of her ass. Missy’s hands clenched and her stomach swooped. Life was fucking _unfair_. 

Torrance was still talking, though it was really hard for Missy to drag her attention away from the soft skin at the top of her thighs. 

“I just couldn’t lift the frame and hook it on at the same time.” 

It took Missy a second longer than it should to realise she was supposed to respond here. 

“Oh yeah, happy to help, should I lift the frame?” She could hear how quick and awkward her voice was but Torrance just smiled again and nodded. 

She grabbed the first frame in the pile, it wasn’t heavy but Torrance was right, it was awkward. She carried it close to her chest and then lifted it when she reached the wall, face too close to even see what was on it, more aware of the way Torrance’s hand fell on her own as she shimmied between the frame and the wall to make sure the hooks caught. 

“Okay!” She chirped as she shimmied back out, and laid a hand on Missy’s arm. “You can let go now.” 

Missy did, her whole focus on the way Torrance’s hand stayed on her arm even as she dropped it back to her side. There was a long silence until she realised Torrance was looking at the poster and finally focused on it. 

It was a Xena poster. 

Of Xena and Gabrielle. 

Her eyes shot to Torrance who met her gaze with a raised eyebrow and _did not let go of her arm._

“Uh.” 

Torrance rolled her eyes. “How have you ever gotten a date?” 

Missy’s mind was still back on the poster. “Really?” 

Torrance turned herself in front of Missy, blocking her view of the poster and cupping her hand around the back of Missy’s neck. “Really.” 

Missy’s heart thudded and the reality of what was happening finally crashed in on her. She grinned widely and fell inwards as Torrance tugged her forward and kissed her. 

She dropped her hands to Torrance’s waist, bunching up the light fabric as though she could reach through it to touch the skin beneath. 

Torrance’s mouth was soft and wet and her breasts were soft swells against her own as she leant up into the kiss. Missy’s whole body was hot and she let one hand fall from Torrance’s waist to the soft skin of her thigh. She could feel the smile as Torrance kissed her harder, tongue running along the back of her teeth. 

Missy let her hand do what her eyes had earlier and ran it up the back of Torrance’s thigh until she could cup her ass, feeling the soft lace of her panties and the shiver her touch created. Torrance’s hips pressed forward against her in response to the pressure and Missy had to break the kiss to gasp for breath. 

Torrance rested their foreheads together and grinned at her, breath also quick but body still plastered against Missy’s.

“I thought I was actually going to have to climb into your lap before you noticed.” 

Missy scowled at her but stole a quick peck of lips, pleased when Torrance followed her as she pulled back. 

“Forgive me for not realising my brother’s ex-girlfriend wanted to date me.” 

Torrance laughed and pushed one of her hands into Missy’s hair. 

“What can I say, I like a brunette.” 


End file.
